ESU's Keystone Center is on hold

East Stroudsburg University's proposed 269,000-square-foot Keystone Center is on hold — for now, state officials said Wednesday.

CHRISTINA TATU

East Stroudsburg University's proposed 269,000-square-foot Keystone Center is on hold — for now, state officials said Wednesday.

"Everything has been put on hold at this point, per the university," said Troy Thompson, a spokesman with the State Department of General Services, which is responsible for tracking the construction and funding for the project.

The last time the department communicated with university officials was on Aug. 6, Thompson said.

He was not sure why the university requested the project be put on hold. He also could not comment on which stage the project was in at the time the hold was requested.

"We were working with the university to move forward with the project, but now everything is on hold," Thompson said when asked what stage the project was in.

University officials did not specify a timeline for how long they would want to hold the project, he said.

Temporarily holding the project should not affect the funding which has already been allocated for the project, Thompson said.

"(Kenneth Long, Vice President of Administration and Finance) and university representatives are in regular communication with the appropriate representatives from Department of General Services and to be clear, there are no discussions or plans by either party to cancel the Keystone Information Commons project," said ESU spokeswoman Brenda Friday. "The university looks forward to continuing its efforts with the Borough of East Stroudsburg to begin this very important project."

So far, only $72 million has been released — just enough money for the first phase of the $107 million project, department officials said.

That phase includes demolishing the existing Keystone Room and hotel, restaurant and tourism buildings and constructing the student center portion of the project.

Phase II involves constructing a new library.

Department officials have said Phase II funding is hung up pending "local land development issues."

As of Wednesday, Thompson said Phase II funding was still being held pending the outcome of those issues.

The State Department of General Services is overseeing the construction of the building itself.

During a meeting in June before East Stroudsburg Borough, department attorney David Narkiewicz said the department "will not be on the hook for any parking or road improvements" associated with the construction of the Keystone Center.

That portion of the project will be up to ESU officials to finance, Narkiewicz had said.

ESU has already agreed to pay for 65 percent of the cost of removing the channelized island at Smith and East Brown streets and installing a traffic signal.

It has also agreed to entirely finance the installation of a 115-foot right turn lane at the intersection of Prospect and Normal streets.

In addition, it is recommended a 350-foot right-turn lane be constructed along northbound Prospect Street, but university officials hope that part of the project will be included in a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation plan to improve the Exit 308 interchange.

As of Wednesday, ESU officials had yet to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about the possibility of being included in the project, said PennDOT spokesman Sean Brown.

An open house will be held this evening to present possible plans for the Exit 308 project.

Earlier this summer, East Stroudsburg borough appointed a Lancaster-based attorney, Josele Cleary, to render a decision on ESU's conditional use application.

A hearing was held in June.

Cleary had expected to make a decision by Sept. 22, and a second conditional use hearing had been scheduled for July 15 to hear a separate conditional use application ESU was planning to file for parking and road improvements associated with the project.

ESU officials canceled the July 15 hearing, however, and have not been in contact to reschedule since, said East Stroudsburg Borough Zoning and Codes Officer, Marv Walton.

The Keystone Center is expected to be the main campus hub with a four-story student center and five-story library when finished.

It would replace the existing Kemp Library on Prospect Ave., as well as the existing student center and Keystone Room.

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